Stone Brewing celebrates 30 years
Venerable Escondido-based trailblazer to celebrate three decades in the craft-beer industry with classics, collaborations and camaraderie
It’s been 30 years since Stone Brewing sold its first keg of beer, helping to fuel the craft beer revolution that has defined generations of beer fanatics. Throughout 2026, Stone is celebrating its passion for beer with sweepstakes, fan-favorite throwbacks, collaborations and limited-time packaging.
The year kicks off by spotlighting the iconic brewery’s flagship Stone IPA with limited-time gold packaging and a 30th Anniversary Sweepstakes. Grand-prize winners will be selected in May and September for a trip to San Diego, including behind-the-scenes brewery experiences with Stone brewers and meals at both Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens locations. Additional first-place winners will be selected to receive a merchandise bundle valued at $500. Enter to win here.
“A hallmark of Stone’s contribution to craft beer has been our team’s collaborative spirit,” explained Stone CEO Zach Keeling. “My favorite example of this was in our early years when distributors refused to carry craft beers, so our co-founders Greg Koch and Steve Wagner started their own distributor. One Aerostar van packed with kegs from multiple small breweries brought the beer to the bars, restaurants and stores that fueled the craft beer revolution.”
It’s with that same spirit that Stone will embark on a series of collaborations in 2026 with friends of today and yesterday. Most will be found on draft at all Stone locations with one major San Diego collab coming to market in six-packs of 16-ounce cans this summer.
In addition to collaboration brews, Stone will rebrew classics and release archive beers, packaged in small quantities and available only at Stone Brewing locations. Subscribe to Stone’s emails to be the first to know about this year’s lineup of fan-favorites like rebrews of Stone Sublimely Self-Righteous IPA and Stone Ruination IPA plus archive releases of Stone Imperial Stout, Stone Old Guardian Barley Wine and more.
Even more classics will be re-brewed as draft-only releases including favorites like Stone Mocha IPA and the brewery’s very first beer – Stone Pale Ale. A fresh-hop Ruination promises to blow the minds of hop fanatics with hops picked in the early AM and flown directly from Washington to San Diego for a same-day brew. With new innovations, classic rebrews, archive releases and next-level execution, every visit to Stone locations in 2026 is guaranteed to meet Stone fans with nostalgia and delight.
Stone’s 30th Anniversary Celebration is slated for late summer, a festival delivering invitational guests, new innovations, Stone classics, entertainment and a price that harkens back to the days of 1996. Stay tuned for more!
Follow Stone on Instagram for weekly throwback content, first-to-know beer release details and surprises to come all year long.
“2026 is a tribute to our fans, our team members and our partners,” says Keeling. “This milestone year will be packed with experiences we hope elicit pride and camaraderie, reminding fans that greatness is built on a foundation of Stone.”